A forum for Ohio educators, sharing thoughts regarding their health care and pension system (STRS Ohio). Researcher John Curry manages a clearinghouse of related e-mails, articles, announcements, etc. His daily mailings include many items that do not make it to this blog. Contact John (curryfeezer@yahoo.com) if you wish to be on his e-mail list. Kathie Bracy: kbb47@aol.com.

Monday, July 30, 2007

So, who was Tommy Douglas and why was he voted as the Greatest Canadian?

From John Curry, July 30, 2007Subject: So, who was Tommy Douglas and why was he voted as the Greatest Canadian?Source, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:

Hmm....the citizenry of Canada must have thought this guy was really GREAT! He "creamed" Wayne Gretzky ...Wayne finished #10 in this vote. I wonder what this guy did that made him so very popular in Maple Leaf Land? Lest you be offended by his description as a "socialist" politician...let me assure you that Canada is also a democracy (Parliamentary democracy) and that the Medicare program you are now receiving (or will receive) is also "socialized" (come to think of it-"Social" Security is too).....oh, be careful, "Joe" McCarthy's offspring might be lurking in the bushes outside your window! Gotta' look out for Commies, don't we? John

P.S. Those often-talked-about long waiting lines for medical treatment in Canada must not be that long, huh?Tommy Douglas crowned 'Greatest Canadian'Last Updated: Tuesday, November 30, 2004 | 4:37 PM ETCBC ArtsTommy Douglas, the former Saskatchewan premier who is credited with being the founding father of Canada's health-care system, was named Monday night as the winner in the CBC's Greatest Canadian contest.

CBC host Evan Solomon was the celebrity advocate for Bell, the inventor of the telephone.

"I'm shocked that so few Bell supporters knew how to use the phone to vote," Solomon quipped earlier in the show when his nominee placed ninth.

The final episode of The Greatest Canadian, titled The Greatest Canadian of Them All, was hosted by CBC correspondent Wendy Mesley and This Hour Has 22 Minutes cast member Shaun Majumder.

Monday's broadcast began with a recap of the Sunday edition of the show.

That instalment was memorable for the barbs traded by the advocates.

At one point, CBC commentator Rex Murphy – who championed Trudeau – got into a heated verbal tussle with George Stroumboulopoulos, who argued that Douglas was the source of Trudeau's ideas.

"There is a difference between the fertilizer and the tree," Murphy said pointedly.

Douglas, born in Scotland in 1904, spent his early years in Winnipeg.

After a stint as a Baptist minister, he served as a federal MP from 1935 to 1944. He then became premier of Saskatchewan as leader of the CCF, the predecessor to today's NDP.

It was in Saskatchewan that Douglas introduced Medicare, a concept that was later adopted at the federal level by the Liberal Party.

He died in 1986.

According to the CBC, The Greatest Canadian has averaged between 500,000 to 700,000 viewers per episode.

The program's Oct. 17 debut drew more than one million viewers.

The series is arguably the public broadcaster's most talked-about show in recent years. After it debuted, Canadians from across the country joined in the debate, arguing passionately for different candidates.

The Greatest Canadian was also criticized for its methodology, with some observers noting the paucity of female nominees.

"How can this be said to represent the nation's choice of 'Greatest Canadian' when it isn't even being shown in French?" asked columnist Andrew Coyne, writing in the National Post.

Mesley and Majumder did not reveal on Monday how many votes each nominee garnered.

About Me

A graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Baylor University School of Music, I am a professional symphony musician by background. I am also a retired elementary classroom teacher (nonmusic), having taught in the Alliance (OH) City Schools 2-1/2 years and the Columbus Public Schools 30 years. My first job was as harp instructor at The University of Texas; currently I am a Lecturer in Harp at The University of Mount Union. As a retired educator and a life member of a number of professional organizations, including the Ohio Retired Teachers Association and the Ohio Education Association-Retired, I also worked through CORE (Concerned Ohio Retired Educators, which officially disbanded 9/20/12) to help bring about badly needed reform in our teachers retirement system, STRS Ohio. My e-mail: kbb47@aol.com.